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First Watch to Open on Fruitville and Honore

The locally based Daytime Cafe will open Monday

Sarasota, FL (RestaurantNews.com) First Watch, the popular locally based breakfast, brunch and lunch restaurant, today announced it will open the doors to its newest Sarasota restaurant on Monday, December 11. The new cafe will open at 7 a.m. at 5354 Fruitville Road in front of Target on the corner of Fruitville and Honore and will share a building with Chipotle and Five Guys. It will employ about 25 people.

“If you would have asked 30 years ago if I ever thought First Watch would achieve the growth and success that it has today, I may have laughed,” said Ken Pendery, CEO of First Watch. “The fact that we were able to settle down in Sarasota and surround ourselves with great people who have contributed to the success of First Watch – customers, staff, mentors and neighbors – it’s incredible. What an honor to open another restaurant right here at home.”

The 3,500-square-foot restaurant will open just minutes from the company’s home office in University Park and will be 34-year-old First Watch’s eighth restaurant in Sarasota/Manatee. The concept, along with CEO Pendery, moved to Florida in the eighties, with the original Sarasota restaurant opening on the South Tamiami Trail in September 1986. First Watch and Pendery, who has served as CEO since the restaurant’s humble beginnings, have called Sarasota/Manatee home for more than three decades. During that time, the company has grown to more than 300 restaurants in 27 states.

The new First Watch on Fruitville will serve the company’s fresh breakfast, brunch and lunch menu and flaunt its Urban Farm restaurant design, which combines rustic, farm fresh elements with a high-energy city vibe. It will offer both indoor and outdoor seating.

Avocado ToastSmoked Salmon Eggs Benedict

First Watch’s curated menu takes an elevated approach to traditional and innovative offerings made to order using farm fresh ingredients. It includes crave-able items such as Avocado Toast, Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict, Farm Stand Breakfast Tacos and Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. The new restaurant offers healthy, flavorful favorites like house-made granola and pico de gallo, organic greens, house-roasted vegetables, cage-free eggs and 100% fresh-squeezed orange juice as well as more indulgent, traditional breakfast, brunch and lunch offerings. First Watch on Fruitville will also offer options from the restaurant’s Fresh Juice Bar – including the best-selling Kale Tonic – juiced in-house daily using only the highest quality fruits and vegetables.

First Watch serves its entire menu seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. The restaurant also offers customers complimentary newspapers and free Wi-Fi Internet access.

First Watch specializes in award-winning, made-to-order Breakfast, Brunch and Lunch. A recipient of more than 200 “Best Breakfast” and “Best Brunch” accolades, First Watch offers traditional favorites, such as omelets, pancakes, sandwiches and salads, and unique specialty items like Quinoa Power Bowls, Avocado Toast and the Chickichanga. First Watch was recognized as one of Nation’s Restaurant News’ 2017 Second 100 restaurant brands, and was named the 2016 top Family Dining restaurant by Consumer Reports and a 2015 Top Consumer Pick by Nation’s Restaurant News. First Watch is the largest and fastest-growing daytime-only restaurant concept in the United States with more than 300 restaurants in 27 states, including more than 230 First Watch restaurants, 75 The Egg & I restaurants and one Bread & Company restaurant in Nashville. For more information, visit firstwatch.com.